Ebola outbreak in Guinea and Sierra Leone

It has been confirmed that a mysterious disease that has killed up to 60 people in the West African country of Guinea is indeed the deadly Ebola hemorrhagic fever. There are indications that the disease has spread to Sierra Leone. Ebola spreads rapidly through direct contact with infected people and animals through contact with secretions such as blood, urine, and breast milk. Ebola is frequently fatal and hard to treat.

The most recent and notorious outbreak killed dozens of people in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2012. There have been about 2,200 cases since 1976, when the disease was first discovered. So far, there have been 1,500 deaths attributed to the disease since then.

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has announced that it is providing increased medical and logistics support to Guinea in response to the epidemic. The group is bringing by air up to 33 metric tons of medicines and equipment. Isolation units have been established at Guéckédou and another in Macenta, in southern Guinea. MSF mobile teams are also investigating possible incidence of Ebola infection in Kissidougou and Nzérékoré in Guinea, as well as monitoring neighboring countries such as Sierra Leone.